When Vermont entered the Union on March 4, 1791, it was a milestone in the history of the United States. Vermont became the first state after the original 13 ad represented the start of an expansion of the United States that continued through the 20th century. The Vermont State Quarter features Camels Hump Mountain in the background. Located in the Green Mountains, it is one of the states most distinctive natural features. The foreground of the coin honors the states famous maple syrup and maple sugar industry. It shows two maple trees with buckets to collect the sap, which will then be turned into syrup or sugar.

Each uncirculated quarter is layered 7 times in pure 24 karat gold. Each coin is encapsulated to protect it's condition.

In December 1997, America's most adventurous coin program became a reality when President Clinton signed legislation authorizing the U.S. Mint to issue the innovative 50 State Quarters collection. Starting in January 1999, each of the 50 states in the Union will be honored on a unique Quarter Dollar commemorative coin. Five states will be featured each year, based on the order in which they ratified the Constitution or became states. Due to the aggressive minting schedule, each State Quarter will be minted for only about 10 weeks. As a result, mintages of each quarter only are to be just a fraction of the "normal" quarters are. Regular issue coins will be minted at both the Philadelphia and the Denver Mints. The mint marks can be found to the right of George Washington's portrait on the obverse: the small "P" indicates the Philadelphia Mint and the small "D" refers to the Denver.